The Best Handguns For Home Defense

Ultimately, the best handguns for home defense are the ones that you can run best. That’s the primary consideration. Can you shoot it worth a darn? That’s what matters most.

So, what are the best handguns for home protection? That’s more than a little debatable. There are many different attributes that can make a pistol “good” or “bad” in different situations and ultimately, again, the best one to use is the one that you can use best.

Can you run the gun? Are you accurate with it? Then it’s a good choice.

Second, make sure that your home defense gun is loaded with self-defense ammunition. Jacketed hollow points are the standard, but there are others choices like frangible/fragmenting rounds, the old school LSWCHP revolver rounds, jacketed soft points and so on, that are also effective. Just be sure your gun functions well with self-defense ammunition you choose (this is especially important in semi-automatic handguns).

With that said, what are some outstanding choices in a home defense weapon? Let’s go over a few.

A Gen 3 GLOCK 19. Credit: Agazoo/Wikimedia Commons

One of the most popular handguns on the market is the GLOCK 19. It’s kind of a Goldilocks gun, as it’s large enough for use as a service pistol, but compact and light enough for concealed carry (for some people, anyway).

The G19 is an excellent choice for almost any application including competition shooting, personal protection…though not so much hunting.

The GLOCK 19 is a striker-fired semi-automatic, which – for the total beginner – means it has no external hammer (and no manual safety), and can be fired by merely pulling the trigger. Standard capacity is 15-round magazines, but extended models can be had.

The Gen4 and Gen5 models will have the best features (depending on preference), as those generations have swappable backstraps for a better fit. The Gen5 models omit finger grooves on the grip and are slightly wider to accommodate a new barrel design (the GLOCK Marksman Barrel) and revised internals.

If you try the GLOCK 19 and it seems a little too big, another wildly popular handgun is the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield series.

A Smith & Wesson M&P Shield M2.0. Credit: smith-wesson.com

The M&P9 Shield is one of the most popular concealed carry handguns on the market today. Since it’s designed for close quarters use, it will do just fine in a home defense role as well as a daily carry gun.

The Shield comes with two magazines, one flush-fit 7-round magazine and an 8-round magazine with an extended base plate. Like the GLOCK, it’s a striker-fired pistol but unlike the GLOCK can be had with a manual safety, which is rather small still usable.

Some people prefer to have a manual safety on their pistol, especially if they have little people in the house. Granted, you can prevent unauthorized access by keeping the pistol secure on your person or in a safe or other storage device, but that’s another discussion for another time.

Smith & Wesson makes a couple of dozen Shield models, so you can get one that’s perfect for you. Different calibers (the Shield is offered in 9mm, .40 S&W and.45 ACP, and there’s a .380 variant) fiber optic sights, night sights, Performance Center models with porting and tuned triggers, even CORE models to accommodate red dot optics.

Some people, however, prefer a bigger gun with more capacity for home protection. A lot of them will have something like a service pistol for home defense, but have a smaller gun for concealed carry, which is certainly a good idea.

What would be some good choices if a person was going to leave their bigger gun at home?

SIG SAUER P226. Credit: Getfast/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA

The SIG SAUER P226 is one of the all-time greats. The P226 is a double-action/single-action semi-auto, holding 15+1 of 9mm ammunition.

Unlike the polymer GLOCK 19, the P226 is a metal-framed tank weighing at more than 30 oz unloaded. You will need to learn how to run the double-action trigger, of course, but it isn’t difficult and many shooters greatly prefer it.

The P226 has arguably the most logical control scheme among DA/SA autos, in that a de-cocking lever is placed on the grip just above the magazine release button. This lets the user de-cock the pistol safely (lowering the hammer without striking the firing pin) and carry or store the pistol loaded in case it must be used in a hurry.

The P226 is one of the most popular pistols for police and militaries worldwide, and its reputation has been well-earned.

Like GLOCKs and S&W’s M&P line, SIG makes a number of different versions of the gun, so you can get upgraded models such as the Legion series, tactical models with threaded extended barrels for use with suppressors, night sights, red dot sights…whatever you want.

Expect to pay more for the P226, though, somewhere in the neighborhood of $800 or more for the basic models.

You can also opt for the venerable Beretta 92, also one of the most proven pistol platforms in police and military service. Like the SIG SAUER, the Beretta 92 is a double/single action pistol and the base model likewise uses 15-round magazines, though extended models are available with 17+1 being most common.

There are a number of variants of the 92, which we could spend a year talking about but won’t.

The 92 served as the primary sidearm for the US armed forces for more than 20 years, so it’s a very viable platform. However, the fat grips and slide-mounted de-cocking safety take some training to acclimate to.

If the original 92’s grip size is a problem, consider the Beretta M9A3, which has a thinner grip for smaller-handed shooters.

The good news is that you’ll generally spend less than you would for the SIG P226; the 92FS pistols usually retail for closer to $600.

Okay, I lied. There is really one home defense handgun, the 1911. I just give people more options just because. Credit: Dan Wesson/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA

There is also a bevy of 1911 pistols on the market, ranging from entry-level workhorses to custom guns of exquisite finery and all points in between. Regardless of what any GLOCKaboos like to say, the fact is 1911s are combat-proven and are definitely capable of the task of effective personal protection and home defense. You will find them in .45 ACP, 9mm, .357 SIG and even .380 versions.

However, you need to put in a little time learning the single-action system and operating the manual safety. You should also expect to shell out for some Wilson Combat or other quality magazines, because factory mags can be a crapshoot.

If you find you prefer a striker-fired system to hammer-fired single action or DA/SA platform, many an excellent choice can be had.

Nick Leghorn for TTAG

The full-size GLOCK 17 is perhaps the most popular police pistol in the United States, and many gun owners who agree have added them to their safe. The G17 is the polymer striker pistol that started it all.

It accepts 17-round magazines standard, and can be accessorized to the ends of the earth. Add night sights or a fiber optic. Attach a light/laser to the rail. Purchase the MOS model and attach a red dot optic. It can be almost all things to all people.

Springfield Armory (I know, I know) makes a few decent pistols (I prefer their 1911s, but that’s just me) but a great choice of home defense gun is the XD(M). TheXD(M) series has some upgraded components, including a “match grade” barrel, even though there’s hardly a universal standard on what “match grade” actually means.

Springfield Armory XD(M). Credit: springfield-armory.com

The XD(M) can be had in multiple calibers, including 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP and 10mm. All models come with fiber optic front sights and combat rear ramp sights. You can opt for one of a few different models, including a compact model with 3.8-in barrel for concealed carry, or service-size models with 4.5-inch or 5.25-inch barrel. Threaded-barrel and red-dot-ready models are available too.

It’s the best striker gun that Springfield makes. If you wanted to get into 10mm, it’s a great starting point as well.

Smith and Wesson M&P9 M2.0. I can’t even begin to tell you how many variants of this gun exist. Credit: smith-wesson.com

Smith & Wesson’s M&P line also includes full-size pistols with 4.25- and 5-inch models in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP. There are models with or without manual safeties, with upgraded sights and even the full-meal-deal tactical models in the CORE series.

There are also compact versions with 3.6- and 4-inch barrels. The larger pistols start at 17+1 of 9mm, and the compact uses 15-round magazines.

There are DOZENS of individual models of M&P pistol, but suffice to say it’s a very decent full-size striker pistol. Ergonomics are quite comfortable, with the 18-degree grip angle of 1911 pistols, which has made these favorites with many police departments. I could write a short novel about the M&P series just describing them all.

The best striker pistol I am aware of at the moment, however, is the Walther PPQ. In comfortable ergonomics, it is only matched by the H&K VP9. The PPQ is much like the GLOCK 19 in specifications (kinda compact enough for concealed carry, big enough to be a service gun, 4-inch barrel) and has an accessory rail for mounting a laser or light. It’s slightly more expensive than the G19, but not by much.

The party piece of the PPQ, however, is its wonderful trigger, which is hands-down the best of any striker-fired pistol (though I would proffer that the H&K VP9’s is just about as good). The PPQ can also be had in a subcompact variant with a 3.5-inch barrel.

But what about revolvers?

Not everyone prefers semi-automatic pistols, as the manual of arms for revolvers is pretty darned simple. While some argue that they’re outdated, a wheel gun in practiced hands is every bit as deadly as any semi-auto.

Smith & Wesson Model 10. Credit: smith-wesson.com

If one wanted to make shooting as easy as possible, the standard by which all .38 Special revolvers is judged is without doubt the Smith & Wesson Model 10. The Model 10 has been in production since 1898, beginning life as the Hand Ejector model, later re-branded the Military & Police, and then the Model 10 in the 1950s, which it has been called ever since. Built on Smith’s K-frame, it holds 6 shots of .38 Special.

The Model 10 was THE service gun of the 20th century, serving both militaries and police forces worldwide well into the 1990s. It isn’t much to look at, with a trench sight cut into the top strap and a simple blade sight on the barrel, but a practiced operator can shoot fast and accurate, with quick follow-up shots given the heavy weight (over 30 ounces unloaded) relative to the modest power of .38 Special.

If desired, K and L frames in .357 Magnum are also excellent, including pistols such as Models 19, 586 and 686.

The Ruger GP100. Credit: ruger.com

Ruger’s GP100 .357 Magnum revolver is perhaps THE entry-level magnum revolver of the past 30 years. Made from the ground up for that round, it’s built to shoot the hot loads as much as you possibly could. But remember, like any .357, you can also run softer-shooting .38 Specials from it.

Ruger also makes models of the GP100 in .44 Special and 10mm should you prefer a bit more wallop, as well as a number of finishes and configurations. I’m partial to the half-underlug models for aesthetic reasons, but that’s just me.

While they are tanks, they’re also reasonably priced and will last a lifetime with a bit of care.

There are many, MANY more handguns out there that are great for home defense. This list is really just to illustrate some of the more popular models. Feel like some were left out? Feel free to mention them. A few I probably should have mentioned include the CZ 75, Canik TP9, and a bit more about the H&K VP9, but we only have so much room. Sound off in the comments!

.22 has put plenty of folks in the ground, but for home defense I’d rather a 10/22 (or at least a Charger) than a handgun. And might as well shoot .327 or .357 as .22 Mag, that round is ridiculously loud out of a revolver.

The best handgun for home defense is the gun that you control the best with dead on accuracy. Even a well placed .22LR will stop an intruder. But, safety considerations for neighbors from errant high caliber ammo going through walls is necessary for home defense, so my “go to” home defense is a tactical 12 gauge shotgun with .00 buckshot. Other weapons are backup and for a longer engagement.

Was considering going with a Glock 40(actual one not the hopping joke) as one of my NY permit entries. Didn’t hear about Springfield so time to search compare and see how it feels in hand (next time I’m out of state)

My house guns are a S&W SDVE with an Apex trigger kit in .40SW and Ruger Security Six in .357Mag – both loaded with Winchester Silvertip hollow points. Actually the Ruger is loaded with .38Spcl with the .357 loads in the speedloader – as reassuringly weighty as the Security Six is my wife is more comfortable with .38s than .357s. If the .38s don’t work then I guess the 145 grain .357s should – at least the fireball should blind anyone within range long enough for us to run 😎

Any full size/Service pistol or revolver. You don’t have to worry about concealment or weight. Big pistol means long sight radius and better recoil characteristics. All the other pistols are compromises. If you don’t need to compromise, don’t. That said, my home defense pistol is the same as my EDC but I carry a mid sized service pistol.

The hard part is lighting the tiny fuses. Did anyone tell the moron dad that a vast majority of police, city, state, federal LE as well as irs, ss, CPS, USPS have purchased hundreds of millions of rounds for blowing up the general public.

That’s a lot to unpack: Does one start with the effeminate and cowardly father, the absurd suggestions, the citing of roundly debunked polls or the complete lack of real parental concern? Maybe the starting point should be the failure to suggest the father get some help for his crushing hopolphobia.

At the meta level, what are the odds that question and response aren’t both written by Dear Amy?

Can you imagine the cognitive bias it takes to believe that a record shattering increase in civilian arms sales is occurring along side a massive reduction in the number of gun owners?

Had to double check to make sure this was not my area. The father is a failure of any important measure, the advice is beyond biased but I wouldn’t expect better of a media outlet (likely billionaire owned). Also besides NJ where are hollow points illegal?

I read that in today’s newspaper too! “And it’s not a normal gun either – it’s a .40 caliber semiautomatic, and she has hollow – point bullets to go with it. Amy Dickinsons response is bad. She is an idiot.

We can laugh, but little journalistic gems like this one are all part of one big anti-gun brainwashing campaign. Fear and doubt spreading media are doing their best to turn gun ownership into something bad, dangerous, weird, anti social and probably criminal.

My choices, almost exactly. Except that I don’t like glocks, so the bed gun is a S&W .357. And the bedroom shotgun is a double barrel 20 ga. I’ll bet thast’s different. I like the ability to give a target both barrels simultaneously(that’s why 20 instead of 12).
Like Wyatt Earp always used to do with his Wells Fargo coach gun. Give ’em both barrels first, throw the empty shotgun at their face, and transition to pistol. It always worked for him, and it still seems like a damn good idea, even >century later.

“My choices, almost exactly. Except that I don’t like glocks, so the bed gun is a S&W .357.”

If you were a real gun owner (which you are not) why in the hell would you want to use an archaic design like the revolver. If you ever tried to re-load a revolver under stress (which you have not) even with speed loaders its a very good way to get your self killed in a gun fight and to prove it there have been grave yards full of dead cops that were found with empty revolvers in their hands during a gun fight before the modern days when cops switched over to high capacity 9mm blasters that they can spray and pray with in a gun fight. Never mind that they only lay down firepower the equal of the battle of Verdun while the criminal laughs and runs away but hey the cop is still alive when its over.

Get real Knute head put your cap gun away and go out and buy a real revolver some time and then come back and tell us its the best home defense weapon. Its obvious you never owned one.

For me personally I would not be caught dead with a revolver. PUN INTENDED

You are full of it, Dracula, as usual.
Yes, semi autos have higher capacity and are usually faster to reload. So what? With enough training it is still possible to shoot 12 aimed rounds out of a revolver in 3 seconds including reload. Semi automatic pistol design is over 120 years old btw.

Nothing said here about useful home defense firearm accessories, such as night sights, lasers and lights. My primary home defense pistol (a Colt M45A1) has factory night sights, and I added a light/laser – all useful in a dark home. I have night sights on all of my autoloading pistols. My backup self-defense revolvers are not so amenable to night sights or lights, but they do have lasers.

What kind of accessories do readers put on their home defense handguns?

“Nothing said here about useful home defense firearm accessories, such as night sights, lasers and lights.”

You made a serious mistake by having tritium night sights on a handgun. Its a disaster waiting to happen. Before going any further they do let you find your hand gun in the dark quickly but lets look at how worthless and dangerous these sights are in a gun fight.

Example: Taken from Gun Week Newspaper some years ago. A Moron Cop (normal for the breed) heard someone rummaging around in his kitchen . The night sights on his handgun only work when its so dark that he cannot identify his target. And they are only good for one shot because the muzzle blast will then blind him for follow up shots. So then this idiot Cop blasts the person in his kitchen and then the dumb ass finally decides to turn on a light and finds out he just killed his son who came home early from college. A hand held flashlight or even flicking on the overhead light would have avoided killing his own son.

I might add that tritium night sights do not last forever and often have a half life of only 5 years. That is a lot of cash outlay for something that does not last all that long.

Flashlights: Not a panacea either. Putting one on your handgun can get you killed as well. Flashlights often have leaking batteries that annihilate a flashlight rendering it useless and recoil can knock out a flash light or cause it to flicker on and off or go out suddenly. Mounting a light on your gun is a very bad idea not only because of the above mentioned problems but also gives the Criminal an aiming point to shoot you. Holding the light in your hand and away from your body will direct his shots toward your hand not your body letting you blast him with your gun in your other hand before he knows exactly where you are.

I once got in a heated discussing about this with an arrogant instructor in my concealed carry class and after all was said and done I said loudly “ok people who would follow my advice or the instructors? Every one said they would follow mine to a very red faced instructor.

By the way in another class a different instructor in a different state accidentally shot himself during a demonstration of gun safety and naturally the gun he was using was a Glock that has no manual safety. I really laughed my ass off when I heard about that one. But with a Glock this is normal accident.

Testing complete.
Weird. Those are all the same words that refused to post before. Just in different order and split up.
Well, maybe a glitch, or maybe splitting it up confused the algo. Either way, I think the meaning slipped through.

to Mark
“The best handgun for home defense is not a handgun, because handguns fucking suck. Run an AR15, AK or shotgun. Don’t run a handgun. It is far from ideal.”

Not in all situations. Going down a dark hallway a burglar stands a much greater chance on reaching out from a room he is hiding in and grabbing a hold of your long gun. Rifles usually but not always have greater penetration and if you miss and the bullet goes through a wall you end up killing one of your own family members. And you would be surprised on the penetration even buck shot has on the walls in the average cheap ass modern house whose walls are made of junk dry wall.

If you carry your rifle properly this is not an issue. And here is a FACT: 9 mm will penetrate more than 5.56 mm. The latter breaks up in sheet rock. It is the most effective and safest round you can fire in a house. And if you are so worried about an intruder stealing your weapons then you need more training and/or a better plan. You shouldn’t be wandering around your home, you should be funneling those fuckers into your zone of death.

Well, Mark, you can hide in your bedroom, but if I hear breaking glass, I’m not going to sit and wait in the dark while hearing footsteps making their way down the hall toward my daughter’s bedroom.

If at all possible, stay in a safe place and call 911 with the phone in one hand and your gun in the other. But there may be a need to venture out of that safe place in order to protect others in your household.

Your choice of wording and writing style suggest that you don’t have a wife and/or children. Those of us who do will do whatever’s necessary to protect them from harm if it enters the house, and will train accordingly.

I had to move to a low rent, neighbors a wall away, I wouldn’t use a gunm in this place, scared I mite killm somebody by accident. I’ve got a meat cleaver. . . . . On shooten through walls, my neighbor is)was having troubles with X boyfriend, she say” I’ve got a gunm and if he breaks into this place, blah blah blah.” I say “Well don’t go to putten holes in my wall, I don’t particularly care to be shooted”.Now mind you, this is a constitutional Carry state however I showed her an empty shell casing( she wanted some cool jewellery) but said the cartridge was still loaded while pointing at the primer. I hope that boyfriend don’t show up by golly

Have you ever done a “shoot / no shoot” exercise (through a professional instruction course) walking through a mock home interior? I have multiple times, and while I love my ARs and shotties, my go-to nightstand defense weapon is a full-size handgun with mounted weapon light and upgraded tritium sights. In most homes, the ‘pie’ radius through most doorways is just too small to reliably navigate with a long gun. Sure, it can be done, but an intruder can also grab the barrel/shroud and mess up your plans in the blink of an eye. I much prefer a solid handgun for extreme CQC such as a home invasion.

What works for you will work for you, but don’t underestimate a handgun’s effectiveness in the right hands.

One of the exercises involved staying put in a single room, while good guy / bad guy targets alternated randomly in the window and doorway on your three sides. At those close quarters, I still preferred the handgun for quick mobility and target acquisition.

I don’t see that 10mm offers “more wallop” than .357 Magnum. If you look at the specs the two cartridges pretty much overlap each other with the very hottest .357 loads offering a few more ft. lbs. than the very hottest 10mm loads. Both cartridges are at the top power-wise of what are considered practical combat handgun rounds. If I want a powerful combat revolver I would get it in .357 . Similarly if I want a powerful combat semi-auto I would get it in 10mm.

My thought too. If you want .357 power in a semi-auto the 10 is the way to go, but in the same platform loaded to full non +p pressure the .357 has the edge. Especially for a woods gun since the .357 can do it with higher SD bullets (a 158gr. .357 is about equal to a 200gr. 10mm). Of course most loads don’t use the full potential of either round.

On one hand you have a point, on the other, if you need 15+ rounds in a home defense situation you should probably make sure the home invaders don’t have ‘Sheriff’ printed in big yellow letters on their backs. Anyway, as someone who uses revolvers for home defense, the strategy is to use the 6 rounds to facilitate your retreat to another, preferably bigger gun.

At roughly the same power you’re getting 3 times the rounds in a glock 20 vs a revolver. Easier to shoot and reload. Y’now, in case the baddie brings friends. And if you want to really up the mag capacity you can get the Kriss Magex and go to 33 rounds + 1 in the chamber!

I think a better round for handgun purposes today would be a 9×23 Winchester – where you can get fully equivalent ballistics to the .357 Magnum in a semi-auto. Finally, you’d have the penetration of the .357 with the mag capacity of the modern 9mm semi-auto.

I thought all the overlength 9mm’s were Russian stuff. I’ll have to look into this. I doubt that I’ll be switching from my .38 super though. As a reloader, ammo availability(more like NON availability…) isn’t much of an issue. But thanks for the info. I like to learn new things. Your posts teach me things. Thank You.

As per his usual practice, Hoober left out the MOST important thing: Check YOUR gun with the SAME AMMO YOU WILL BE CARRYING!
Most will range fire with ball ammo(FMJ), and then switch back to some variety of HP for carry. This is a dangerous practice, as many firearms don’t like certain HPs, and will suffer stoppages with them(but perhaps not with other HPs). So this is a good way to end up with a pistol that runs perfect at the range, and then becomes a nightmare, right when you desperately need it the most.
THAT is way worse than the “walk of shame”, to a gunsmith to put your gun back together for you. THAT might be humiliating, but at least it’s not fatal.
My personal routine for a new defense gun is: at least a hundred rounds of FMJ to break it in and check for obvious faults, followed by firing a hundred rounds of whatever ammo I chose to carry it with. Only if it fires that second hundred without a stoppage do I trust that gun/ammo combination. If not, I either fix the problem, or change to a different brand of HP, or at least a different style of HP. Yes, this does mean buying at least 6 boxes of premium ammo. Most come in 20 round cartons, and you’ll need at least one more box, to have some left to load the gun with, after shooting up the first 5 boxes. I consider my life to be worth that cost. Others mileage may vary.
If you cannot afford to do this, at least shoot one box to see that they function. Lacking even two boxes of premium ammo, just ignore hoober and carry with FMJ ammo. Better to have a less effective projectile that works, than the best premium projectiles in the world that won’t.
My thinking is, all mechanical things fail, sooner or later, so there is no such thing as 100% reliable. That’s only people’s figure of speech. But if it will fire 100 rounds straight, that IS 100%… for that particular one hundred rounds. I call that sufficient. Since perfection is unattainable, sufficient is the best we can hope for.

I already have the tinnitus – and not from shooting guns indoors or outdoors without hearing protection. I have it from industrial noise.

Now, as to the hearing damage from a .44 Mag. I’ve got news for people – if you shoot a .357 Mag, 10mm, 9mm +P, etc inside, and kiss your hearing goodbye just the same.

The issue here is the pressure level of the cartridge, and all of those I’ve listed have about the same pressures as the .44 Mag – over 35K PSI.

There’s a reason why my bedside gun is a .45 Colt. Big mass, big diameter bullet, propelled by a low pressure cartridge that shaves a few dB off the muzzle blast. Same deal for The .45 ACP or .44 Special. Pressures in the low 20K PSI range.

Fortunately, I like collecting Ancient style arms such as swords! Funny how old technology can be just as useful in modern times should the NEED arise! Imagine, the best short sword, the Roman Gladius…It doesn’t need a high capacity magazines , no over penetration to go through a wall an endanger a neighbor, no hearing 👂 protection issues, can produce incredible damage, and is forever loaded!

Pg2, as DG said, I already have tinnitus. I had to touch off a 240B inside rooms in Iraq. My hearing loss is so bad gun shots don’t even sound that loud to me anymore. Not saying I don’t wear ear pro religiously, now that I’m a civilian, but if I happen to touch off a couple more large rounds without ear pro I probably won’t even notice the difference.

Absolutely the case. The crowd that keeps chanting; “shoot one round and your hearing is gone” are just repeating what the crowd of doomsayers has been chanting for years now. When I grew up in the 60’s hearing protection was unheard of.
Not only did I grow up shooting with no muffs, and did so hundreds of times, I also ran bulldozers and other heavy equipment for years, for 16 hours a day. I did have muffs, Air Force Surplus ones from jet crews, in the equipment, but you can’t stand to wear it for 16 hours. At least I can’t.
Add to that the ’80s, when I had a 600 watt stereo with 15″ subwoofers that would rattle the windows, and a number of rock concerts including Motley Crue when they bragged about 125 dB minimum, and yes, I have permanent hearing loss.
Yet even now, after a lifetime of abusing my ears, I can still hear to 11,000 Hz, and it only shows up in that I have to say “what” every now and then, esp. when two people are talking at once.
Lose your hearing from an occasional gunshot? No! That’s just extremists that only understand that doom and gloom sell, or else others repeating the chant.
Lose a tiny amount from one shot? Sure. A hundredth of a percent, maybe. But not much money to be made from wording it that way.
In the words of Ross Perot: “Always follow the money”. He said that, and IF he had done so, he might have even gotten elected. But he didn’t. Just another chant to manipulate the sheeple.

Because if they can get sheeple like you to think you need $300 electronic muffs to save your ears, that’s a lot more profitable than a 50 cent pair of foam plugs. DUH! I can make a lot of profit by selling crap that isn’t really needed to helpless sheeple, IF I can make them afraid enough. Fearful sheeple will buy any idea that I can come up with, IF they are afraid enough.
THAT is what “follow the money” means. It means to learn who profits, and how much, before opening your wallet to anybody, esp. those with a vested interest. And if the ones profiting are the same ones doing the fearmongering, beware, because it’s a scam.
NEVER trust a salesman’s ‘opinion’ about the product he is pushing. That ‘opinion’ isn’t his, it’s just a script that he gets paid to read. Just like the dinosaur media Anchorboobs, or 95% of the ‘news items’ that now pass for TTAG.
Do you “get it” now? Or did it just go straight over your head?

Literally laughing! Right, I forgot about the billion dollar ear protection industry that pushes this hearing loss/tinnitus agenda to promote their products. Priceless. This is the drivel that makes this forum entertaining.

Thousands, millions, billions, or trillions, the principle remains. Only the innumerate cannot understand scaling and relevance.
Not that I’m saying I can scale things up or down and they will remain the same. One cannot simply scale a drone up in size and carry a human. But the same principles of flight apply to a Cox 0.049 control line model as to a C5 Galaxy. Numerate people already know this.

Ken, I knew Vlad was a troll bot profile, and suspected you were also. Now I’m sure if it. Your good cop-bad cop routine with the other autobot profile is entertaining, as it’s meant to be, but a little too transparent.

Or it least if you find yourself in a life or death situation, which round will do less damage to your hearing should be the least of your worries. Yes unprotected ears are damaged by even a single gunshot, but it’s the repeated exposure that causes serious damage, and as DG eluded to, the constant droning of industrial machinery is worse yet.

Agree, chronic exposure is generally worse, and hearing loss and possible tinnitus is a price worth paying in a life saving situation. But it’s a mistake to downplay it imo, it can be literally disabling for some people.

It’s a factor, but only one of many. Personally I’d have to believe touching off a few rounds of 5.56 would be worse. I like handguns for home defense because home invasions often start with a knock at you door, and when the Chinese delivery guy gets the wrong address you don’t have to make him shit his pants. And long guns are useless when your attacker is 2 feet away from you. Anyway, lately I’ve been keeping my .44 mag Blackhawk handy during the day/evening. In the unlikely event that I have to employ it I figure there’s a high probability that it’s visually impressive enough that I won’t have to pull the trigger and no bang is certainly quieter than a 9mm bang. Otherwise it’s just the prettiest hand gun I’ve got and it just dresses up the couch nicely, so it works for me.

BTW, I’ve got some Double Tap Gold Dots in .44 special. Very visually impressive. I’ve been keeping PMC 180gr SJHPS in it though. Probably not the hottest load but out of a 6-1/2″ barrel you’re still probably looking at ~1000ft/lbs at the muzzle. At least I can hope to only have to shoot once…

Best handguns for self defense/house protection/concealed carry? Each person must decide for themselves what is best. For me I’ll keep my own classic K-Frame Smith and Wesson revolvers. These include a Smith and Wesson Model 15 .38 Special Combat Masterpiece, Model 19 .357 Combat Magnum, and Model 66 “stainless” .357 Combat Magnum. All three revolvers are pre-1982 with 4″ pinned barrels and counter-shrunk chambers (Models 19 and 66). I appreciated the comments on the venerable, historical, and versatile Smith and Wesson Model 10 (J-Frame) .38 Special Military and Police revolver, of which the S&W Models 15, 19, and 66 respectively are variants. Granted a semi-automatic pistols has higher ammo capacity. Still a revolver is still “six shots for sure.” For confronting an intruder banging on your door at 2:00 A.M.
in the morning, or for contending with the sound of forced entry and breaking glass at the same ungodly hour, I would naturally reach for My own S&W Model 66 which remains loaded with six rounds of Federal 129 grain .38 Special +P “Hydra-Shok” ammo.

I, for one, consider five shots for certain, to be wayyyyy better than 15 maybes.
Unless, OFC, I’m part of a combat entry team. In that case I want all the capacity I can get. But OFC in that case, I’m not interested in pistols at all. I’d have a full auto 5.56 or .300 BLK with 30 round mags. No bigger, I’ve had too many problems with above 30 rd mags. And I’d still have a 20 for shooting prone. Just in case. Unless I thought the particular case called for a shotgun.
In the world of firearms, everything is situation dependent.

Magazines and feed ramps have come a long way in 20 years as well as bullet geometry. With that said I would never question the value of a tucked away revolver in case I am not near my intended carry. Just not a scandium alloy 44 mag Smith and Wesson that a friend of mine used to have. Six shots and you have to wait for it to cool off before it can be opened (factory defect with heat expansion somehow).

SAFE:
My 2nd favorite pistol is a .38 snub. Autos have come a long way, but it just isn’t arguable that they’re more reliable than revolvers. There are just so many more issue to go wrong with an autoloader.
To understand the issue, one really needs to start with the subtle difference between a “jam” and a “stoppage”. Autos suffer stoppages, revolvers jam. Usually. OFC there are always outliers.
Jams require tools, a workbench, and perhaps even a gunsmith and/or parts, to repair. Stoppages can be cleared on the firing line. Any problem that requires leaving the firing line to fix is a “jam”, and not a “stoppage”.
Jams happen rarely, stoppages are much more frequent. So there’s no question that revolvers are more reliable, but they trade that off for less capacity(among other issues also).
None of that is my main reason for liking a .38 snub, though. I just like that it’s more comfortable and concealable than a suitable auto in a real caliber. They ARE tougher to shoot, esp. to shoot well at distance. But I already climbed that learning curve decades ago, before Glocks were ever invented, so that doesn’t effect me. If I had to learn it all over again, I might choose not to also. But, since I’m already here now, why not? Since I run at a pretty high hit probability, I consider 5 in the gun, plus 6 in a speed strip, to be enough rounds.

Got to play with a 5 shot snub with a shrouded hammer and yes you are absolutely right it is harder to shoot but I can see the appeal for pocket carry and contact distance. Most of my experience is a mix of 92, 1911, and Glock ……..till I moved up here, never had jams but stoppages aplenty until I figured out I was limpwristing anticipating recoil. Gonna be fun relearning fundamentals in a year or so.

Mine too. Double barrel 20 ga., hanging over the bedroom door. If they’re already in, that’s what the .357 in the headboard is for. But I do keep a double stack 9 with a spare mag by the shotgun also. My plan is to use both barrels down the hall to soften it up, followed by the 9 to mop up whatever’s left.

Thumbs up for the Springfield XDm — and its less glamorous older sibling the XD. There’s an example of each in my house.

The reviewer forgot to mention the grip safety, which is a feature that sets them apart from the rest. Some people don’t like it, but I love it. It provides an extra layer of safety in carrying, reholstering, and such (which accounts for most of the handling the gun actually gets). And when it’s time to fire the gun, you never have to wonder whether the safety is on or off.

Thumbs down on the new Bertta 92 its been bastardized with a junk plasticky safety, plasticky trigger, plasticky op rod and a junk cast locking block known for early snap, crackle and pop. For most of its production life the slide is known for going nuclear with too many hot plus P Plus loads. Late production models have a strengthened slide but not by much. Its way too large for a 9mm and not noted for stellar accuracy either. Next time you pick up one that is empty put your thumb on the end of the barrel and rotate it because you can wiggle the barrel around in a circle as it has no muzzle bushing.

Glock: The most unsafe handgun on the market and ditto for many of the copy cat variations by other manufactures. Its cocked internally and with “no manual safety” it goes off with a snag of the trigger and it has a totally unsafe take down system that requires you to pull the trigger, its an accident that will happen not might happen. It has a weak ignition system, and also a hole in the grip that lets in dust and debris and an open striker channel that gets contaminated easily with both dirt , burnt powder and excess lube. And it has a creepy trigger pull. One accidental snag of the trigger proves the trigger safety does not work and then the gun goes bang blasting off a large portion of your body if you even survive. The perfect gun for thinning out the surplus population because of its numerous accidents and since the people who carry it are mostly the low I.Q. crowd the Glock improves the breed by thinning out the low I.Q. people through numerous accidents. Yes Murphy’s law includes you too Jethro.

Thumbs down for John Q. Public with the 1911 because it has a grip circumference that is too large for most average and small size peoples hands, and if it has the original standard G.I. designed slide release only a Gorilla can reach it without shifting the hand and it usually is found with the standard low capacity magazine, it has too much recoil for the average non gun expert to master without spending 1/2 million dollars in ammo for practice to master its recoil, and its heavy and huge size precludes it for concealed carry in hot weather even by the average obese American. Not all 1911’s are equal either and many to this very day do not function with all expanding ammo. Its take down system is not a easy as many modern guns for the non gun enthusiast. Its an old dinosaur that has only hung on because it was once the U.S. Military Handgun complete with all the flag waving and moronic mindless patriotic hoopla and the long running ridiculous gun writer myths about its mythical lethal large bullet that will blow a man off his feet , spin him a round like a top or make him disappear in a red puff of mist. Only the low I.Q. crowd have ever been taken in by such bullshit. Real investigations into U.S. Military Reports mentioned nothing about its doing any of the above gun writer myths. Real life tests killing animals proved its caliber is no more lethal than a 9×19 and with the .45 your usually stuck with a hard kicking. slow recovery time between shots and a low capacity weapon, just what you “do not need” in a gun fight.

WHAT WAS NOT MENTIONED WAS THIS SAFE AND SUPERIOR AUTO HANDGUN. The H&K P30S and also the compact P30Sk model are light in weight and have a visible hammer, a decocker, a manual safety that can be left in the on position with the hammer down even when disassembling the gun, its a double/single action and has a safe take down system which requires you to lock back the slide which would eject a forgotten round in the chamber and it has a captured slide release lever so you will not lose it when taking the gun down. Its reliable with all expanding ammo and light in recoil and accurate. Light also in weight and super small in the P30Sk compact model it can easily double as a concealed carry model during the summer Global warming killer heat. If your big and fat like most overweight Americans are the full size gun is still small enough to easily conceal although the butt is longer than the compact model.

Wrong again. If you are fat it’s harder to CC a bigger gun. It’s easiest when you are thinner. But you wouldn’t know that because you don’t own or carry any guns. Any gun knowledge you post is copy and pasted from other gun blogs. Or just flat out lies and bullshit, like most of that post is.

“Wrong again. If you are fat it’s harder to CC a bigger gun. It’s easiest when you are thinner. But you wouldn’t know that because you don’t own or carry any guns. Any gun knowledge you post is copy and pasted from other gun blogs. Or just flat out lies and bullshit, like most of that post is.”

Your post is ridiculous. I have fat friends and they can carry a 1911 concealed and I am skinny and have trouble even concealing some smaller 9mm guns. People also expect to see fat people wearing extra large shirts and pants too making it very easy to conceal a large handgun but when a skinny person deliberately wears an oversize shirt or pants he immediately draws excess attention to himself as he looks far more unnatural and even ridiculous. Sorry try again.

More lies. I know from personal experience having been skinny, gotten fat, and then lost weight to be at least skinnier again. Carrying is far easier when you’re thinner. When I was fat my belly would force the handle of the gun to stick out way farther. I was also too fat to wear a shoulder holster because it was hard to reach that way. Yes I was pretty big. So I know. Luckily I took the greatest threat of all heart disease seriously and I’m thinner again.

Oops. Guess I read that wrong. I thought Vlad said it, and he’s so ridiculous I just poke fun of him by habit. But upon re-reading I see that it was you instead. Sorry. No offense intended, so long as you aren’t Vlad. Him I offend on purpose. 🙂
So if he did get this one thing correct, it still doesn’t count. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day…

Can I just call BS on everyone? Nobody ever notices anything related to carry. I’ll adjust the position of my holster by an hour or two in the grocery line, nobody knows. Of course I didn’t start out this way, but it’s obvious nobody sees anything and relates it to C C. I’m about 165 carrying a 4″ CZ P07.

Hey Vlad the gun ‘expert’:
Have you managed to figure out yet what the dangerous end of a gun is called?
Remember the question? I’ve asked you it like 10 times.
Six letters…. starts with “M”?
Anybody here that can help poor Mr. Expert???? If you tell him it’ll be cheating, but he really needs the help. I’ll look the other way. So far he gets an F- .
But only because there isn’t a “G” grade.
Should give him an FM…. Failed Miserably.
🙂

The really sad part is, Vlad isn’t just joking around. He seriously doesn’t know. I’ve asked him lots of times. He can’t figure out what the M _ _ _ _ _ end of a gun is. Yet he wants to give gun advice. The leftards get more mental by the day.
In fact, I’m starting to take offense at that term. I have some retarded acquaintances (note: NOT “friends”), and they all at least KNOW that they don’t know. None of them would ever dream of trying to give advice. On anything. Leftards though…. They give real retards a bad name. Even the real mentally retarded know what the dangerous end is called!
But not Vlad the self proclaimed ‘gun expert’. What would one call them? Infantile? Ridiculous? None of those has the right feel. They don’t do justice to the level of stupidity. It needs a whole new word. How about TARD, for The Antis are Ridiculously Dumb?
🙂

Yes for people not familiar with hand guns the revolver might be the best bet. They will not have to worry about remembering to check the chamber when they go to clean them or check if the gun is loaded. They can visibly see the rounds in a revolver chamber but not so in most autos and most non gun people do not even know if their guns have a loaded chamber indicator , trust me I have been through this with them. Many, many times non gun people slap a magazine into an auto and forget to rack the slide. President Ford survived assassination by Squeaky Fromm because she forgot to rack the slide of her 1911 which would have put a very big hole in Ford.

ON THE OTHER HAND. If you are a gun person why in the hell would you want to use an archaic design like the revolver. If you ever tried to re-load a revolver under stress even with speed loaders its a very good way to get your self killed in a gun fight and to prove it there have been grave yards full of dead cops that were found with empty revolvers in their hands during a gun fight before the modern days when cops switched over to high capacity 9mm blasters that they can spray and pray with in a gun fight. Never mind that they only lay down firepower the equal of the battle of Verdun while the criminal laughs and runs away but hey the cop is still alive when its over.

For me personally I would not be caught dead with a revolver. PUN INTENDED.

Some people leave a gun sitting in a nightstand for years without shooting it. I don’t like to leave springs under tension that long. I pulled out an sp101 i had sitting for seven years and shot t no problem. Just something to consider

“Some people leave a gun sitting in a nightstand for years without shooting it. I don’t like to leave springs under tension that long. I pulled out an sp101 i had sitting for seven years and shot t no problem. Just something to consider”

My Uncle gave me his 1911 he acquired in WWII. He had wrapped the magazine in a newspaper dated 1948. We decided to see if the gun would malfunction with a magazine that at the time had been loaded almost 30 years. Guess what we fired off the whole magazine without a jam and yes the spring in it was not full power any more but still strong enough to work. I still have that magazine and it still has the same spring in it.

I ordered some South American Browning High Power Mags that were extra capacity about 20 plus years ago. The Springs were so stiff they gave you a steel mag loader that was so rugged you could have run over it with a car. I left one magazine loaded for a year and yes the spring was not quite as strong but the magazine functioned fine so I loaded it up again and never touched it for another 15 years and it still works fine.

Anything used in the home without significant hearing protection will come with hearing loss and possibly tinnitus, though that’s rarely discussed for some reason. Suppressors could really mitigate this, but any positive for gun ownership will surely be denied.

The only real downside to a muffler, other than cost and legal issues, is that pistol suppressors cause the gun to tend to throw stuff back at you from the ejection port, including sometimes, some sharp stuff. Eyepro is definitely something I’d recommend and that goes double for using a can.

Depending on the home-dweller’s physical capabilities and environment; Any handgun system they can manage simply and reliably along with the heaviest hollow point they can manage accurately and quickly with one hand if needed, that still allows them to maneuver in tight quarters and maybe serve as a temporary system until a more formidable needs to be accessed such as a longgun or beltfed!

Huh wonder how a belt fed upper would count on a compliant lower. Not really a detachable magazine and do need to kinda disassemble to reload (yes I know not really) 10 round belts are easy enough and binary triggers are still legal to the best of my knowledge. Ok this goes to the research in case I have more money than sense folder for future projects.

No worries…Massachusetts will protect it’s residents…Along with your possibly overzealous Law Police Department (depending on locale.) No resident will NEED to go through the (hardship) attempt to “apply for an FID/LTC card, and the draconian local/state police roadblocks to maybe receive such a police issued privilege…” Riddled with police department Restrictions, prohibitions, constitutional waivers, etc…No worries…Your NOT like living in a free-state…

Handgun character that make a gun “more concealable” are liabilities on a home defense (HD) handgun. You can use the same gun for CC and HD but unless its full size, your shorting yourself on one side or the other.

Best hand gun simplified, it’s the one you can handle perfectly100% of the time with:
Highest capacity providing more cartridges without reloading.
Long barrel (5-6 inch) providing higher velocity for the ammo you choose.
Caliber 9mm, 40 and .45APC. Extremly minor differences in effectiveness between them is moot. Ammo commonly available. Only go smaller if you physically must.
You must have a reload. The reload moves with the gun, every time, every where.
Buy the most reliable handgun that fits you and its intended purpose.

the best gun for home defense is the one that is on you when the door gets bashed in, because without it you will never get to the other gun that is stashed somewhere. having another gun ready that you retreat to along with reloads is not a bad idea. something like a small revolver or micro nine ( that you can handle, even a 32 or 380 or 22 is good, home invaders don’t like getting shot at and if that is all you can handle at lease you will be hitting your targets because only hits count.). you can retreat to your wondernine or shotgun ( or any bigger gun you prefer). I would advise some martial arts training and also pepper spray as well. pepper spray can be a deterrence and can slow down and disorient your attackers giving you time to reload or get your reload ( the other gun) into action.

It’s been proven beyond any doubt. VLAD is a complete know-it-all fool who contributes nothing beyond being the donkey to pin the tail on.
That said…Shot placement always wins the day. Use for protection what you shoot best and reliably…even if it’s a smaller caliber with less muzzle flip and recoil.
If a semi-auto is your choice, intentionally set up malfunctions and learn to clear any and all of the several malfunctions that can occur. If you choose a revolver, learn to “stage the trigger” rather than making the entire long pull at one time. I feel for the frame of the gun with the end of my finger, pause briefly, and complete the pull. Accuracy is a matter of practice…and “practice” is NECESSARY for ANYONE who counts on a firearm for defense.
Personally, I carry a revolver since it ALWAYS works…AND…I DO NOT EVER want to have the mind set that “I have lots of rounds to fire.”
Sure, I have reloads of moon clips, speed loaders or ammo strips…but, I will COUNT ON ACCURACY AND SHOT PLACEMENT…not spray and pray…because I practice.
HOME DEFENSE??? It’s hard to beat a 12 or 20 guage Shotty like the Mossberg or Remington short barreled and short grip guns designed for that purpose.
Personally, I use a Vietnam Trench Gun 12 ga….with bayonet. If I changed that, I’d opt for the 20ga Mossberg loaded with #2 or 4 shot and the last one a slug.